ESPN Archer: Draft Breakdown: Frank Clark

[AsthmaField]

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4741638/cowboys-draft-breakdown-frank-clarkhttp://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4741638/cowboys-draft-breakdown-frank-clark

Michigan defensive end Frank Clark

Height: 6-2 7/8 Weight: 271

ESPN Insider rank: No. 16 defensive end, No. 164 overall

Games viewed: Northwestern, Miami (Ohio), Connecticut (2013)

Scouting report: If teams had no concerns about off the field, then Clark would be a top-end prospect, but he was kicked off Michigan last fall for a domestic violence arrest and he had another incident in 2012.

Teams will likely keep him off their draft board because of this, but he will meet with the Cowboys this week as part of their 30 national visitors. The Cowboys already took a chance on Greg Hardy in free agency but were able to construct a contract that pays him as he plays. For Clark the penalty could be going a lot lower than he would have normally.

On the field, he has a lot of natural ability. Against Miami (Ohio), he was able to dip and bend around the corner to keep the tackle away from him while still working up field. He was consistently the first defensive player off the ball at the snap and gave either tackle fits. He does not give the tackles a lot to hit as he rushes.

One constant throughout the games I saw was how he kept his outside arm free. Against Northwestern he was able to push the tackle back to the quarterback and knock a pass down with his free hand. He got a sack off a straight bull rush. He knocked down three passes in the game, showing a good change of direction after a misstep on a play fake. When he works up the field he has a good knack of coming back under the tackle to track down plays from behind.
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I have to admit, if the Cowboys think he is worth a late round pick, I'm all for it. Give him a chance to change his life around and if he doesn't, then let him go.

I say give him a shot though. The guy has real talent at a spot that I like Dallas to have it in. Just country strong and plays with great leverage. A lot of power in his lower body and is very difficult for OL do deal with.

 

[kiheikiwi]

For a 5th round pic I'd def. take a shot at him. He sure looks the part .... SDE.

 

[tm1119]

He definitely has an impressive burst for a guy that's 270. Worth a shot with 1 of our 7th's if available.

 

[AsthmaField]

He definitely has an impressive burst for a guy that's 270. Worth a shot with 1 of our 7th's if available.

You wouldn't do it in the 5th?

I probably would unless there was a guy I really liked sitting there. He would be worth it IMO (assuming he stays out of trouble). Marinelli would work wonders with this guy. Lawrence/Mincey and Hardy/Clark DE rotation...

 

[tm1119]

You wouldn't do it in the 5th?

I probably would unless there was a guy I really liked sitting there. He would be worth it IMO (assuming he stays out of trouble). Marinelli would work wonders with this guy. Lawrence/Mincey and Hardy/Clark DE rotation...

Tough to say without knowing much about whatever the domestic incident was and what hes like as a person. I will say that from only a brief Google the incident sounds fairly horrible. These calls are almost impossible for fans to make though if you ask me. These types of things require an eye to eye conversation in my opinion.

 

[AsthmaField]

These calls are almost impossible for fans to make though if you ask me. These types of things require an eye to eye conversation in my opinion.

That is very well said. That is the bottom line.

Speaking for myself, I trust the team to use good judgement in cases like this (and Hardy). If they bring him in, I will assume they know the deal and if they don't, that's fine too and I trust that.

Assuming the team is eventually ok with the incident, then I would be fine with a 5th on him.

 

[tm1119]

That is very well said. That is the bottom line.

Speaking for myself, I trust the team to use good judgement in cases like this (and Hardy). If they bring him in, I will assume they know the deal and if they don't, that's fine too and I trust that.

Assuming the team is eventually ok with the incident, then I would be fine with a 5th on him.

Yea I agree, just not sure I see it happening. I don't think he was much more than a 3rd/4th round guy before all this happened...personally punching a woman in the face is kinda the line for me. He'd have to be 1 charming sob to talk me into drafting him before the 7th. And he was also already a convicted felon before the domestic violence too...

 

[AsthmaField]

Yea I agree, just not sure I see it happening. I don't think he was much more than a 3rd/4th round guy before all this happened...personally punching a woman in the face is kinda the line for me. He'd have to be 1 charming sob to talk me into drafting him before the 7th. And he was also already a convicted felon before the domestic violence too...

Honestly, you make a compelling argument and I'm not going to disagree with you at all on it.

With Dallas bringing him in for a visit, maybe they're privy to some information the general public doesn't have. Perhaps the complete story doesn't paint as gruesome a picture as we think. We can hope. Honestly, I don't see Dallas bringing him in if he is just a ****head, but who knows?

 

[Thatkidbob]

Watch the Pats draft him in the 3rd or 4th anyway.

I have no clue about his previous legal issues, but after watching a couple games I'm sold.

Based purely on ability, I'd love to see the team pick up one or more of the following group: Frank Clark, Bobby Richardson, Marcus Peters & PJ Williams.

 

[CowboyChris]

whats with us looking at all these problem players all of the sudden? what happened to the RKG approach?

 

[Thatkidbob]

whats with us looking at all these problem players all of the sudden? what happened to the RKG approach?

An RKG loves football.
They don't have to be boy scouts.

 

[CowboyChris]

An RKG loves football.
They don't have to be boy scouts.

these problem players are getting suspended left and right. we are taking a big chance on Hardy, and there is the AD interest out there, and now we may be interested Clark too?

 

[Leadbelly]

Didn't think he was much of a player at DE but wondered if Marinelli might be interested as a developmental 3-tech. I'm sure he looks great vs Miami of Ohio and Northwestern. Against Wisconsin or Ohio St, he's pretty a middling prospect to me.

If anything, I think we're planting the seeds for signing him as an UDFA.

 

[unionjack8]

i would be all over him in round 5, guaranteed he makes this roster if chosen

 

[JBell]

He has a freakish burst off the line. The guy gets off the snap like he has a rocket up his ***.

His combine #'s back up his burst. Clark had a 4.05 20 yard shuttle, which was by far the highest mark by any D-lineman at the combine.

It's the 2nd fastest recorded time by any D-lineman in the last 10 years, only behind Bruce Irvin's 4.03. And Clark weighs 270. Unreal.

His other measurables are pretty freaky too. Same arm length as Jason Pierre-Paul. #1 60 yard shuttle @ the combine, and a vert that would make NBA players jealous.

He didn't put up eye popping sack #'s at Michigan, but college sack #'s can be misleading for a number of reasons.

I wouldn't be mad if we drafted him as high as the 4th.

 

[Brooksey]

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4741638/cowboys-draft-breakdown-frank-clarkhttp://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4741638/cowboys-draft-breakdown-frank-clark

Michigan defensive end Frank Clark

Height: 6-2 7/8 Weight: 271

ESPN Insider rank: No. 16 defensive end, No. 164 overall

Games viewed: Northwestern, Miami (Ohio), Connecticut (2013)

Scouting report: If teams had no concerns about off the field, then Clark would be a top-end prospect, but he was kicked off Michigan last fall for a domestic violence arrest and he had another incident in 2012.

Teams will likely keep him off their draft board because of this, but he will meet with the Cowboys this week as part of their 30 national visitors. The Cowboys already took a chance on Greg Hardy in free agency but were able to construct a contract that pays him as he plays. For Clark the penalty could be going a lot lower than he would have normally.

On the field, he has a lot of natural ability. Against Miami (Ohio), he was able to dip and bend around the corner to keep the tackle away from him while still working up field. He was consistently the first defensive player off the ball at the snap and gave either tackle fits. He does not give the tackles a lot to hit as he rushes.

One constant throughout the games I saw was how he kept his outside arm free. Against Northwestern he was able to push the tackle back to the quarterback and knock a pass down with his free hand. He got a sack off a straight bull rush. He knocked down three passes in the game, showing a good change of direction after a misstep on a play fake. When he works up the field he has a good knack of coming back under the tackle to track down plays from behind.
_______________________________________________________________________

I have to admit, if the Cowboys think he is worth a late round pick, I'm all for it. Give him a chance to change his life around and if he doesn't, then let him go.

I say give him a shot though. The guy has real talent at a spot that I like Dallas to have it in. Just country strong and plays with great leverage. A lot of power in his lower body and is very difficult for OL do deal with.

When your 270 lbs and you can "Dip and Bend" there's upside as a pass rusher. He's worth taking a look at. I'm not sure about the PR aspect with adding another guy with a DM charge but hey someone in house has a job to do if we add him.

 

[Bcrav4]

He definitely doesn't skip leg days. Wow.

 

[xwalker]

Tough to say without knowing much about whatever the domestic incident was and what hes like as a person. I will say that from only a brief Google the incident sounds fairly horrible. These calls are almost impossible for fans to make though if you ask me. These types of things require an eye to eye conversation in my opinion.

Yes, the area where fans have the least info is in regards to character issues.

Some guys with public issues might have learned their lesson; whereas some guys that didn't get caught might be more likely to have problems after being drafted.

A good interview can give teams a good feel for the player.

 

[Thatkidbob]

these problem players are getting suspended left and right. we are taking a big chance on Hardy, and there is the AD interest out there, and now we may be interested Clark too?

Clark in the 4th or 5th is a low risk, high upside prospect. He's a no-brainer as a UDFA.

It's kinda cynical to say it, but if you get 2 or 3 years of production out of him on a rookie deal and he goes and gets himself into trouble off the field, you can cut him at minimal cost (if need be). Plus, if you decide to keep him, the off the field stuff could help keep the price down.

Now it's important not to go too far in that direction and let the locker room get out of control (think Jailblazers, Bengals, the Gilbert Arenas WizardsWizards, etc), but I've got no issue with drafting/acquiring a couple

 

[gmoney112]

Yes, the area where fans have the least info is in regards to character issues.

Some guys with public issues might have learned their lesson; whereas some guys that didn't get caught might be more likely to have problems after being drafted.

A good interview can give teams a good feel for the player.

The dude got it easy by having a felony cleared off his record previously after breaking into a kid's dorm room and stealing his laptop. And then his girlfriend "falls down" while blowing a .00, and he threatens a female hotel employee using his size as intimidation.

He's got obvious talent but he also has sociopathic tendencies. I think it's much less about "turning his life around" than it is about him being able to control his own stupidity, if he even sees it as an issue.

My intuition tells me he's only playing nice because the draft is approaching and he knows if he wants any money in his pocket he's gotta do well now. But, I don't really have much confidence he'll be able to get out of his own way once he's comfortable and making a pretty decent paycheck.

He's a super talent for a 5th rounder, but you gotta draw the line in the sand somewhere. Guess it just depends on who you can put on your team and still have a healthy conscience.